What does the Mitsubishi car emblem contain?

The Mitsubishi car emblem contains three diamonds.

The name Mitsubishi literally means “three diamonds” in Japanese: mitsu means three, while hishi refers to a diamond or water-chestnut shape. The red three-diamond badge is therefore a direct visual expression of the company name rather than an unrelated decorative pattern.

The emblem’s origin is connected with the Iwasaki family crest, which used three rhomboid shapes. It was also influenced by the crest of the Yamauchi family, associated with three oak leaves. The two heraldic traditions were combined into the three-diamond design used by Mitsubishi.

Mitsubishi Motors shares the emblem with the wider Mitsubishi group, although the automobile company developed as a distinct business within that corporate family. The diamonds are often mistakenly called triangles because of their appearance at small sizes, but the conventional description is three diamonds.